Non-Alcoholic Beverage Strategy Conference 2020

• Responding to the voices of the consumer to understand desires and needs in an increasingly health-conscious society
• Exploring the transition and journey behind a brand – how a fresh idea can grow into a global legacy and become more than just a beverage
• Developing strategies to drive expansion, a look at customer experience through flavours, locations and authentic experiences
• Preparing for trending movements and preparing to capitalise on the occasion (Dry January / Sober October etc.)
• Analysing the trends in international markets and leveraging the idea of bringing the brand to the people

• Looking at the growing consumer lead desire for better health and their everyday lifestyle as the driving factor behind the functionality trend in order to gain a better understanding of the current market evolution
• Understanding the consumer need for functional supplements in beverages to identify areas of opportunity and growth within the beverage market
• Honing in on the wellness trend to satisfy the consumer desire for everything natural and beneficial Exploring the industry flavour challenge of less sugar & better taste in order to assess its impact on business strategy when meeting consumer demands in terms of flavours of natural origin
• Assessing the attraction of functional drinks and the importance of branding them correctly to ensure a successful product with positive growth within the industry

In this structured networking session delegates will have 2 minutes to meet a partner face-to-face, introduce themselves and share their biggest challenge before moving onto the next delegate.

• Tapping into the fastest growing beverage markets in the world to identify potential areas of development
• Border barriers: Analysing the challenges and ways to overcome them
• Gaining insight into the key player companies and brands to learn from the leading brands
• Analysing the key consumer trends in these markets to pinpoint market demand and motivators
• Gaining understanding of premiumisation as a defining trend in the beverage market to evaluate its effectiveness as a business strategy

• Navigating the rise of “the Mindful Drinking Movement” to find opportunity in this growing category
• Exploring the potential of the Adult Beverage category to identify the strongest areas of opportunity
• “Anytime, Anywhere” The struggle to categorise the 0% sector: taking a look at ways to define its place in the market to build a stronger presence among competitors
• Breaking down social stigmas and leveraging untouched markets to potentialise no and low depending on varying consumer drives
• On Trade vs Off Trade – focusing on “out of home channels” and “at home channels” to fully exploit the social opportunity motivating the increasing demand for no and low

• Analysing the success factors behind a non alcoholic beverage product to identify the hurdles in the current, continuously evolving market
• Following the process from product promotion to consumer attractiveness to transform the paradigm to achieve success by being precise and getting to the point
• Deciding on the OEM evolution or revolution to perform a more holistic approach to reshape the production and improve the performance and productivity

• Diving into the consumer driven demand for “zero alcohol socials” to distinguish opportunity within social and cultural elements of daily consumer behaviour
• Capitalising on the drinking occasion: taking a look at why non-alcohol drinkers feel they are missing out so as to pinpoint ways to fill the gap with solid brand positioning
• The opportunity behind the death of the “mocktail” and rebirth as the “zero” adult cocktail to enjoy free rein for creativity and innovation
• Analysing the rapidly growing demand for 0% spirits, beers and ciders to gain a solid understanding of the potential of the category
• Maximising a smaller portfolio – when less is more. How to concentrate on a stellar product and driving it to its full potential

• Looking at our current position in terms of sustainability, regulations and global agreements to reduce global warming
•  Understanding the link between transport modes and CO2 emissions to make better informed logistical decisions
• Utilising tools to better measure CO2 emissions to create achievable and measurable goals through transportation 

• Defining the pillars when building a brand to successfully take the idea to the international market
• Reshaping memories and supporting the social occasion fuelled by innovation and wellness to renew the cocktail bar menu and leverage the No & Low category
• Delivering quality in both product and packaging to solve the price predicament and devise successful product development choices
• Adding value and delivering high quality beverages in the non-alcoholic market to leverage the demand created by the health conscious customer by pushing for product certifications

• Will non-alcoholic beer and spirits be a “hot niche” (less than 10% share of the total Beer and Spirits market or will it become a “mainstream sector” (+10% share) in its own right?
• Considering the possibility of non – alcoholic beer and spirits as “mainstream sector” – what needs to change or occur in the next couple of years in order for companies to be prepared for this opportunity?
• Considering the possibility of non – alcoholic beer and spirits as a “hot nice” / what are the potential implications for manufacturers and how could they survive in a tight market frame?
• Pinpointing the best strategy for price positioning to gain a better understanding of implications and consequences when growing your brand nationally vs globally
• Analysing the implications of premiumisation in the No and Low category to identify the best strategy behind pricing

• Understanding of mega trends and converting them into useful insights to drive business strategy
• Innovation strategy as an integral part of business strategy – Innovation efforts should be in line with our long term business aspiration and not running in isolation
• Branding is not a starting point, consumer is – Start with Outside-in approach and create an agile structure to respond quickly to changes. Focus on what before how.
• Balancing between short term and long term benefits – Utilise resources to make sure we succeed on both fronts – Innovation strategy should give direction on where to focus
• Looking beyond ‘product’ to win in the future – Look into Business models, core technologies and capability needed to win in the future – Develop partnerships where needed.
• Structural pre-requisites to make innovation a success through dedicated resources and people

• Product offering: recognising what today’s consumer wants and the importance of differentiation and added value to increase consumer alliance
• Considering whether a premium offering is essential to lead the market in the RTD and non-alcoholic beverage categories
• Using various distribution and marketing channels to gain advantage when building a premium brand
• Identifying what consumers really look for on the packaging and its effects on purchasing decisions to develop the correct image for your brand

• Identifying key factors to take on board when considering new brand propositions in order to stay ahead of trends, broaden portfolio and drive success in distribution
• Looking at strategy to pinpoint consumer trends to penetrate the market and demonstrate experience and confidence when making new “product to market” introduction

• Recognising that quality wins over quantity when selecting brands for portfolio in order to optimise ROI and nurture long term manufacturer/distributor relationship
• Going mainstream or niche? The deciding factors to succeed in distribution channels in order to meet with demographic and consumer trends
• Respecting and understanding the buyer market to enable better decision making for long term product representation and portfolio offering

In these interactive discussions, delegates will have the opportunity to pose their biggest questions directly to industry experts in small working groups on the topic of their choice.

Roundtable 1) PURECIRCLE (UK) LIMITED

Roundtable 2) GNT Group BV

Roundtable 3) CELLI SPA

• Creating the link in product design and consumer experience to explode the potential of a brand
• Exploring the need to increase consumer experience to analyse its importance in a changing market
• Defining the need for Consumer Engagement and recognising its use as an essential element of business strategy

• Discovering data behind the ingredient and market trends in hydrolyzed collagen
• Identifying the health benefits of hydrolyzed collagen and the science behind it
• Applying hydrolyzed collagen as a versatile ingredient with excellent properties in beverage applications

• Investigating Disruptive Innovation to comprehend its importance for growth in a highly competitive market
• Looking at Innovation for Global connectivity and success to identify both the challenge and opportunity in today’s market
• Growing ideas through Sprint Development: addressing the benefits and dangers when building an idea and acting quickly
• Thinking outside the box for innovation: looking at the key factors when confronting problems, causing impact and leading the market
• Leveraging innovation in a customer-centric era to ensure success through building value, improving productivity and establishing new relationships and partnerships

• Forecasting the future of sustainability from a regulatory and consumer perspective as a beverage producer to create a packaging strategy under current pressures
• Studying the current sustainability landscape and the choices being made by a market leader to prepare themselves for the next 5/10 years in terms of packaging
• Making strategic decisions as a way to respond to governmental demands and regulations by reducing the environmental impact from cycle start to finish
• Considering key factors when reducing the carbon footprint in order to benefit the bottom line of a company by reducing operating costs and promoting more efficient practices
• Understanding the choice for a circular view of sustainability that spans the entire product life cycle requiring action from suppliers to consumers to leverage the brand/consumer bond

• Looking at the reality of new Plastic Economy to produce food-grade preforms and bottles made from PET flakes
• Analysing the success and adoption of a system already up and running at one of the largest beverage producers in the world
• Simplifying major processes through the elimination of rPET pelletizing, recrystallization, granule drying and second extrusion
• Providing Higher Preform Quality as one single thermal cycle to significantly lower material degradation to achieve a clearer preform
• Lowering energy consumption in a one process step in a single heat cycle (-30%) to lower operational and logistical costs through simplification and optimization
• Reducing CO2 Emissions through a Life Cycle Assessment to significantly reduce the carbon footprint by 79% and comparing the XTREME Renew process with a traditional process for producing PET bottles from rPET

• How has the legislative framework changed and how will this ensure a smooth transition towards a Circular Economy in the EU?
• Identifying key factors for decision making regarding Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes to recycle and recover used packaging in the new EU legislative framework
• Is the Deposit Return Scheme really the right solution for all beverage packaging types?
• The Deposit Return Scheme as a collaborative effort – how are retail and beverage being impacted for the need to adopt the options available on the DRS?
• How can brands navigate through packaging options in response to consumer demand for sustainable packaging? Are brands really free to choose?
• EPR organizations are being pushed to support an environmentally and economically sustainable recycling society, to what extend should the local community be involved and how are manufacturers acting on this?

• Increasing technological versatility to exploit the digital revolution to analyse customer behaviour and development and connect with them directly
• Navigating the digital path to identify ways to reach, engage and measure today’s empowered consumer
• Embracing the modern day influencer: understanding how social platforms and influence can result in a surge in brand recognition and revenue
• Allowing consumers voices to be heard to leverage customer experience and increase digital engagement of the existing and potential audience
• Exploring the Out of Home Channel to gain ground in new marketing dimensions and insight on the impact of tightly targeted messaging

• Analysing the growing CBD demand and the growing drive behind its appearance in products to understand the potential of this category
• Identifying the compatibility and versatility of CBD as an ingredient in order to capitalize within a range of beverage categories such as RTD, waters, no and low etc.
• Discussing the regulations on CBD products and their effects on product positioning in order to better identify alternate ways of marketing
• Looking at the peaking interest from traditional retailers and what this means for the future of CBD products
• Branding – Leveraging the positive on the controversial ingredient to attract the sophisticated customer
• Pinpointing daily rituals – analysing the CBD compatibility within social occasions, professional environments and for general wellbeing

• Digging deep into the “dangers” of the original energy drink recipe and the drive behind the under 16s sales ban – an analysis into the energy drinks consumer demographics and the motivators behind the energy drink market
• Looking at the consequences of the attack on caffeine and sugar as enhancers for sports performance to identify emerging trends for ingredients considered safer alternatives and their place in today’s market
• Identifying strategies to protect the integrity of an energy brand in the midst of the current age-gating regulations: is wellness and premiumisation the solution to the current problem?
• Rethinking innovation in product and branding – should the energy drinks sector adopt a wellness approach in light of an ever increasing health conscious consumer base?
• Scoping the impact of the debate on a global scale to identify the potential existence of market opportunities or challenges

• People: Analysing sustainability through a social concept to identify methods of value which in turn bolster company credibility and aid in building the brand
• Planet: Exploring the practices implemented to date for environmental change by leading companies in the industry and their effects on company revenue and brand development
• Public Engagement: Identifying the importance of engaging the community and empowering them to make a difference alongside a company effort